


thin ice

by yenside



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-14
Updated: 2013-02-14
Packaged: 2017-11-29 07:50:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/684576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yenside/pseuds/yenside
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first three times, the dream is the same. His sister is there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	thin ice

The first three times, the dream is the same. His sister is there. The ice under her feet is cracked and the cracks are spreading, creeping over the too thin ice. She’ll fall in.

The ice under his own feet creaks. His feet are numb. The wind bites at his face. She’ll fall in.

But no, he looks again and she’s at the edge where the ice is thick, she’s safe. And then the ice under his feet opens and he falls.

He falls and the shock sends a burst of white pain through his head, squeezes his eyes shut, knocks the air from his lungs. He opens his eyes and tries to reach back up to the light, but his sluggish arms feel like they are clawing through syrup. His limbs are a dead weight and his chest hurts so much he can barely think.

And then something swallows his ankles and drags him deeper under the water, until he can’t see the hole in the ice or the light that shone through it. 

The last of his breath bubbles out from between his lips. His chest aches, he opens his mouth and instead of the sharp sting of water he sucks in bitter tar, thick and cloying and he breathes out and inhales again and it sticks in his throat and coats his mouth.

He still feels the strange sensation of being dragged down, his body straining to escape and his eyes seeing nothing-

And then he wakes up. 

He wonders, at first, if it is Pitch who sends the dreams. They seem too fitting.

But there’s no way, is there?

The fourth time, he is on the edge of the lake, feet numb from the thick snow.

Pippa is standing in the middle. She is smiling and wide-eyed and the ice under her feet is splitting.

She doesn’t see the danger, doesn’t notice the spreading lines that radiate from her. His breath catches, and then he rushes forwards, reaching for her. 

His heart is like a hammer under his ribs and his fingers reach towards her - and then the ice gives way soundlessly and there is nothing but an empty expanse of air and a hole beneath.

He drops to his knees and reaches out with his arms, plunges them into the ice and tries to see through the dark water, but even with his nose touching the surface he can barely see the pale flesh of his arms.

His hands hurt so much and he can’t feel his fingers and there’s nothing there, just deep dark water, she’s gone it’s his fault -

He wakes up with frost rimming his eyes and his hands trembling.


End file.
